An electrical substitution radiometer (ESR) is a primary reference standard used worldwide to measure optical power. Typically, an ESR measures modulated optical power incident on a conical surface. Heater power is applied and monitored at constant radiometer temperature. An increase in the applied heater power when the incident light is blocked is a measure of the optical power absorbed by the radiometer. However, many ESRs can be bulky and are hand-assembled from individual components. Further, a time response of many ESRs are not optimal for detecting transient optical signatures. Moreover, some conical surface are not sensitive to low optical power or certain wavelengths.
Accordingly, advances in methods and equipment for radiometry would be advantageous and received favorably in the art.